In recent years, due to an increase in the number of diabetics, self-measurement of blood sugar by patients themselves, in order to monitor daily variations in blood sugar levels, has been recommended.
For measurement of blood sugar, a blood sugar measuring device is used, which automatically measures blood glucose levels in blood. Prior to such measurement, patients must collect their own blood.
As a method of collecting blood, the skin at a fingertip or the like is punctured with a puncture needle, and then the periphery of the punctured portion is depressed in order to squeeze out blood therefrom.
For carrying out such a method, for example, a component measuring device equipped with a puncture means (tip) having a puncture needle therein may be used, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2001-309905. This device operates as follows. First, the tip is mounted on a tip mounting part of the component measuring device, and the skin is fitted against a ring-shaped end portion of the tip. Next, the puncture means provided in the component measuring device is operated in order to cause the puncture needle to project therefrom, thereby puncturing the fingertip. Subsequently, the space, in which the tip is mounted, of the tip mounting part is depressurized, so that blood is sucked out of the punctured portion by depressurization. Further, simultaneously with depressurization, the tip mounting part is moved away from the skin, so as to cancel congestion (blood stasis) of the skin, thereby increasing the amount of bleeding.
In such a component measuring device, however, depending on the punctured portion (the portion punctured by the puncture needle), depressurization of the space may be accompanied by movement of the tip mounting part away from the periphery of the punctured portion, with the result that the tip mounting portion slips away from the periphery of the punctured portion. As a result of such slippage, suction of blood out of the punctured portion stops, so that it becomes difficult to collect blood sufficiently (assuredly). In addition, due to an abrupt canceling of the depressurized condition, blood may be scattered, staining surrounding devices or the like.